Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler date: When is the fight likely to take place?

Conor McGregor is set to make his return to the UFC against Michael Chandler later this year. The pair were announced as the two coaches for season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter, which is currently being filmed in Las Vegas.

The show will air from May 30 to August 15, with the highly-anticipated bout between Mcgregor and Chandler taking place after the season finale. A date for the fight is yet to be confirmed, and the Irishman's recent spat with drug testing agency USADA has further complicated the matter.

At the UFC 286 post-fight press conference this weekend, UFC President Dana White was asked about McGregor's return fight possibly taking place in Ireland, to which he replied:

"I don't even know when [McGregor] is going to fight yet, and his next fight definitely wouldn't be in Ireland."

Watch the video below from 4:50:

McGregor last appeared in the octagon against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. 'The Notorious' broke his leg at the end of the first round and subsequently underwent extensive rehabilitation for the injury. He was removed from the USADA testing pool for the duration of his recovery due to "exceptional circumstances" and has not been tested since 2021.

Speculation about when Conor McGregor will re-enter the testing pool has grown. USADA released a statement several months ago implying that it's possible for the Irishman to only provide two clean urine samples before competing against Chandler. However, the testing agency recently reversed its stance on the matter and released the following statement:

"...When the strict application of the rule would be manifestly unfair to the athlete, our position, which we have made clear, is that Conor should be in the testing pool for the full six-month period."

See the tweet below:

Screenshot of MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter's tweet about USADA's recent statement [Image courtesy: @aaronbronsteter on Twitter]

Should Conor McGregor re-enter the testing pool tomorrow, the earliest date he would be eligible to fight Michael Chandler would be in September. The Irishman appeared to be infuriated by USADA's recent statement, as he posted a series of now-deleted tweets, meaning that it could take time for the issue to be resolved.

See the tweets below:

---

Conor McGregor speaks on recent drama with USADA

Conor McGregor recently appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to discuss his looming comeback against Michael Chandler. 'The Notorious' shared during his interview that the bout will take place at welterweight instead of lightweight, which is the usual weight class that they both fight at.

Following McGregor's recent drama with USADA, Helwani asked him to elaborate on whether he will be re-entering the testing pool or not. The Irishman replied by saying:

"The six month thing is, what [USADA] had said was, 'Two clean tests and off I go.' So that's why it won't be too long."

Watch the interview below from 17:45: